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Sunday, September 20, 2015

[Store Insight] Sydney Hobby Store (Singapore)

The quest to find cheaper, more affordable Gunpla is ever-present. Even with the advent of online shopping, I still find myself seeking the (cheap) thrill of browsing a physical brick-and-mortar hobby shop, looking through the rows upon stacks of boxed Gunpla, all waiting to be freed from their mortal shackles.

Therefore, it is extremely delightful and exciting to find a local hobby store that brings in the latest releases for a low, low price.

Located in the heart of western town Clementi, Sydney Hobby Store is the brainchild of Mr Danny Ng, himself an avid gamer and also Gunpla Builder. In fact, Danny named Sydney Hobby Shop after his wife. Stocking kits across every grade and scale, Sydney Hobby prides itself on the amazingly low prices tagged to its Gunpla, which also means that model kits usually fly off its shelves on the very day of release.

To give you some perspective on the sort of prices you can expect at Sydney Hobby, the just-released HGBF 1/144 Kamiki Burning Gundam retails for S$32.95, while Toys'R'Us offers it for S$30 as a pre-order item scheduled to arrive in October 2015. Not only has Sydney Hobby secured stock for the Kamiki Burning, each kit is being sold at the extremely reasonable price of S$25. If this isn't a good deal, I don't know what is.

Danny himself is a longtime Gunpla builder, being in this hobby since its early days. He can be seen customising kits in the shop, applying paint, adding modifications or simply working on one of his many commissioned sets that his customers have entrusted to him. You can view some of his works below or at the shop, and be awed by the fact that he achieved those colours with nothing but cheap spray cans.

So pop by Sydney Hobby Shop and pick up your favourite kit - and perhaps a tip or two - today!